1st question from diver in training

[Eischman]

Greetings from ice covered Wisconsin!
I just completed the classroom and confined water training and have to wait till the end of May for the open water dives, so far so good, my only ? at this point is does everyone get really dry mouth while diving and is there anything you can do about it (besides taking a drink of lake water)

 

[al248005]

Ya its not uncommon at first. When I was going through training I had it after every session. You will get used to it. I found it helpful right before you jump it to drink a bottle of water.

 

[scubadiver888]

Moisture in a tank promotes rust so it is important to remove as much moisture as possible when filling a scuba tank. The downside is that it will give you dry mouth.

I found if I don't hydrate before a dive I get dry mouth. However, if I hydrate too much I need to urinate in the middle of the dive. Over the years I've found a balance. I don't drink diuretics (tea, coffee, etc.) before a dive as this will dry me out and encourage urination.

I also bring a bottle of something (e.g. Gatorade) to drink between dives if I'm doing multiple dives.

 

[The Chairman]

Most people find that their bodies will adjust with repeated exposure to compressed air. You might find other issues arise as you dive as well. Quite often, even with the greatest of care, you'll find that your sinus passages (nose and ears) feel a bit traumatized after your first day of OW diving. Don't forget to equalize, but try not to get carried away with it.

 

[RTee]

Normally, exercises like OOA drills, regulator-snorkel, mask clearing, regulator lost and found drills etc will be adequately timed to assist you in that regard.

Joke aside, I expect that you will be doing your certifying dives shortly after the ice covered Wisconsin is no longer. Normally the dives are relatively short in duration and I am pretty sure that the freshness of the environment (water is not necessarily warmer because there is no more ice at the surface) combined with the pace of the exercises you have to go through will probably be enough to make you forget about it

 

[FuzzyNutz]

Rumor has it that it's easily possible to drink a Capri Sun while underwater. I have not yet tried this, but I highly look forward to giving it a go the next time I dive! It just sounds cool/funny to me, lol.

 

[diver 85]

Dry mouth will grow on you, just like the smell of neoprene(wetsuits) will.....In fact, one day you'll look forward to these 2 things, while you're sitting around thinking of dives to make when the outside temp is VERY cold.....

 

[diversteve]

This is supposed to help: Apollo Sports: Dive Gear: Regulators: Bio-Filter

 

[Colliam7]

. . .does everyone get really dry mouth while diving and is there anything you can do about it (besides taking a drink of lake water)

Many / most people do, particularly early in training. You are breathing dry compressed air, as a new diver you may tend to breath more rapidly which exaccerbates the situation, and as a new diver you may notice the sensation of dry mouth (and other new sensations u/w) a bit more. Yes, you can drink Capri Sun through a straw under water, and there are actually hydration bladders made for scuba diving. I have found these to be a bit cumbersome, though.

Dry mouth will grow on you, just like the smell of neoprene(wetsuits) will

I agree, you will get used to it. And, you may actually find one day that you can take your reg out of your mouth, take in in a mouthful of lake water, swish it around in your mouth and spit it out, then replace your reg in your mouth and continue the dive, and not gag / choke from the thought of what you just did, nor die from contaminants, infectious organisms or fish poop in the water. Well, at least I haven't died from it yet.

 

[Baconator]

You guys may kill me for this but I take a sip of salt water when my throat gets really dry... swallowing will make me cough uncontrollably underwater so I'd rather take a really small sip of salt water than drown...

This happens not as often as it used to though so no biggie Drinking water between dives helps a lot but it's the needing to strip off my wetsuit to pee and finding a clean bathroom that's the hard part!